Connectivity breaks the barriers of distance. Being Asia’s first and the continent’s largest, Indian Museum set another milestone by opening an online exhibition of rare artefacts belonging to its core collection.
For security reasons, it is not always possible for a museum to display in the gallery its most valuable collections, its rarest possessions.
The online display enables visitors around the world to access and experience the museum’s collection of rich cultural heritage from the comfort of their homes.
The collection is available at www.indianmuseumkolkata.org under ‘exclusive online exhibition’.
Artefacts selected for this exhibition are exclusive in nature. Each has its own history and legacy. Art and anthropological specimens from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Balochistan, Tibet, Myanmar, Fiji, and New Guinea were brought to the museum from various sources at different periods. Some are as old as the first and second century CE, some are from the 19th century. The specimens include: gold-crowns, a studded ruby, an emerald, turquoise, coral, pearl and sapphire-engraved Lakshmi, and ‘Vishnu On Garuda’ from Nepal of 18th century.
There is a ‘hair ornament’ from 17th century Nepal. A pair of armlets, the possession of Dwarakanath Tagore, features a Rajasthani miniature painting. A pair of lotus-shaped earrings from Nepal has eight petals studded with sixteen pieces of turquoise. There is also a head of the Bodhisatva from the 2nd century CE, from Gandhara, now in Pakistan; a bow-ring of Shah Jahan; a Calabash Vessel from 19th century Fiji; an effigy of a Taungy woman of Shan in Myanmar.
The museum is trying to expand the accessibility and has packed its calendar with different types of exhibitions. While earlier, researchers, historians, and art enthusiasts had to submit applications to view the rare and precious exhibit items, they can now access those items through the website.
The exhibition was officially inaugurated on August 31, 2018.
This exhibition will also be displayed in a screen near the entrance of the museum.
The writer is Director of Indian Museum